With the number of diabetics worldwide, and in India, spiraling out of control, more and more patients are turning to natural treatments to manage their blood sugar levels. This is understandable for several reasons: To begin with, conventional drugs do not treat diabetes, all they do is bring down your blood sugar numbers. This has long-lasting consequences, as the medicine & dosages inevitably rise, and as the disease progresses, the patient usually ends up on insulin, in increasing dosages.
This is because the real cause of diabetes, which is insulin resistance, goes unaddressed. There are several reasons why a person can become insulin resistant, and diet plays a huge role here. With a proper diet, rich in essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and a variety of micronutrients, the body slowly begins to course-correct and improve its insulin insensitivity.
Vitamins and Diabetes:
Lack of vitamins in their given RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) leads to health deficiencies that show up in a variety of disorders. The root cause is lowered immunity. Vitamin C, for instance, plays a key role in boosting immunity, reducing inflammation in the body, and safeguarding against viruses—such as the cold/flu coronaviruses.
There are many vitamins that the body needs, and just as many food sources.
Multi-vitamin Supplements—to use or avoid?
Chugging supplements has become a de facto immunity-building exercise today. But vitamins cannot and should not be consumed ad hoc. Of course, there are situations when one needs the boost that multi-vitamins provide. But, given the fact that they are available without a prescription, people tend to believe that they are safe.
But vitamins are not without risk. Especially when taken without a doctor’s recommendation. Many a time manufacturers package their multivitamins in ‘Megadoses’. These consciously exceed the RDI, relying on the belief that more nutrients mean more benefits. This is simply not true.
Side Effects of Multivitamins
As long as multivitamins are taken as directed, they are generally considered safe. Despite this, many people suffer from side effects ranging from common to more serious. These include:
- constipation,
- loose motions,
- stomach upsets,
- nausea,
- headaches,
- nosebleeds,
- insomnia,
- allergic reactions_such as hives, swelling of the face, tongue, and many gut-related issues.,
Children as especially at risk here. While water-soluble vitamins are relatively safe, as the excess gets flushed out along with waste from the body, fat-soluble nutrients and minerals build up in the body and cause toxicity.
Vegetables—the healthiest sources of vitamins and nutrients:
Food sources offer a far safer and all-around better proposition for obtaining the vitamins and nutrients you need to stay strong and healthy. And vegetables score highest here. In addition to vitamins and minerals, vegetables are generally high in water content and fiber, both of which help your digestive system function smoothly. They also create a feeling of ‘fullness’, which leads to smaller food portions, and keeps hunger pangs at bay. This makes them excellent choices for weight loss.
How to consume vegetables:
Many people, vegetarians especially, may insist that they are already getting their nutrition through their diet choice. Which is only true to a point. Cooking destroys delicate micronutrients and enzymes and reduces the effectiveness of many nutrients. The ideal way to consume vegetables is raw. This can be through salads, pickles, and/or smoothies. You can also have only the concentrate of the vegetable.
While all vegetables offer many nutrients, some are more equal than others. The following ten score high on our anti-diabetic chart. Read on to discover their health secrets.
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